Vatican City

We arrived in Vatican City just before lunch for our appointment at the Vatican Museum. The year 2000 renovations to the Vatican included a new entrance to the museum, a new staircase, new restaurants and cafeterias AND new bathrooms! We had an hour for lunch before we started our tour with Cristina. We walked through an exhibit of Roman sculpture, another of tromp l'oiel paintings, tapestry Bible scenes, very old maps of Italy and eventually ended up in the Sistene Chapel. Cristina did an excellent job of describing the process of painting the chapel. Since the main focus is on the altar, Michelangelo started at the back and worked towards the piece de resistance at the front. She told us that Michelangelo caused quite a stir when he painted 'God creating man' since no one had ever dared to represent God in the form of a man. She showed us his signature on the ceiling in the form of self-portrait in one of the vignettes. Contrary to popular belief, Michelangelo did not lie on his back when he painted the ceiling. There was a gap between the painting of the ceiling and the wall behind that altar. He painted the 'Last Judgement' as a much older man. He was influenced by Dante in his portrayal of Heaven, Pergatory and Hell. One of the Cardinals in the Vatican had been very insulting about the quality of his painting so the cardinal is presented as one of the gatekeepers of Hell. Sometimes the guards in the Sistene Chapel turn a blind eye to stealth camera action but today we had Mr. Grumpy Guts who spend his time looking foul, shushing and keeping an eye open for any subtle camera moves. I dis see some students manage a quick photo but don't tell Mr. GG!